This Is It
by Imagination
Summary: Max and Terry are graduating. Will this turning point in their lives change their relationship? (continuation of Stuck By Candy)


Summary: Terry and Max are finally graduating. Will this turning point in their lives change the their relationship???  
  
This is It  
by: Imagination  
  
"Good morning Hamilton Hill High students. I would like to say congratulations to all our seniors who will be graduating next Saturday. I hope you will cherish your last day at Hamilton Hill. Now with out further adui, I would like to announce the valedictorian of the senior class. Maxine Gibson, I congratulate you on your achievement." the vice principal said through the P.A. system.  
Maxine stopped in the middle of the hall. She had a look of complete shock on her face. This was unexpected because through all of her accomplishments, I've never seen Max surprised at herself.  
"Congrats, Max. I knew you would get it." I said putting my arm around Max.  
"Thanks, I just can't believe that high school is actually over." she said leaning against her locker.   
"Hey, all your hard work has paid off. Well go to Cheezy Dan's to celebrate. You can play all the video games and eat all the pizza you want. My treat." I was really proud of Max. She did really well despite being batgirl. Even with all those nights of doing patrol with me and all those afternoons of training, Max still had the highest grades in the class.  
"Hey, Max, congratulations!" I heard the familiar voices of Dana, Blade, and Chelsea.  
"I knew you were going to be valedictorian. It was no surprise at all." Dana said giving Max a big hug.  
"Thanks you guys. I just can't wait to go home and tell my parents."  
"Maybe, they'll give you a party, and we better be the first names on the list. Anyway, I have to get to class. See ya!" Dana said and she and the other girls walked off.  
* * *  
I could tell that Max was itching to go home. She would look at her watch half of class and stare at the clock the rest of the time. I could understand her frustration because we weren't doing anything. It was the last week of school and finals were over, so most of the day was spent playing cards and talking. For me, however, most of the time was spent doing makeup assignments.  
The last bell of the day rang, and Max was the first one out the door.  
"Hold up, Flo Jo. Give slow pokes like me time to catch their breath." I said panting as I sat on the bench.   
"Sorry, I'm anxious to get home and call my folks. Plus, I'm ready to eat my full of the pizza you promised me." Max said with her sly smile. Sometimes I didn't know what to do with that girl.  
* * *  
  
Max's hands were shaking as she tried to open the door of her apartment. She found the right key, but dropped the keys on the floor.  
"How about I just open the door." I said picking up the keys and sliding them in the lock. Just as I was about to push the door open, Max's sister opened it.  
"So did they announce it?" Her sister pushed passed me and grabbed Max.  
"Yep, I'm valedictorian girl!" Max and her sister were jumping up and down in the hall. I left the two sisters alone in their Kodak moment. I went in the apartment and found something to drink. Max and her sister came back into the apartment giggling like little girls. Max came and reached for my soda and took a big sip.  
"Hey! That's my soda!" I said trying to grab it back.  
"But, it's my house." Max plopped down on the sofa and finished the rest of the soda. She reached for the phone and began to call her mom.  
"Yeah, mom this morning. I was sooo shocked. I can't wait until Saturday. I have no idea. Okay, bye." Max hung up with her mom and then dialed her dad. "Hey, dad. Did I ? Yep! Did you? What? Thanks!!" Max hung up the phone and began dancing around the living room. I had never seen her this happy before. "You won't believe what dad gave me for graduation." Max said to her sister.  
"What, what?" her sister said becoming excited again. "Money, I bet how much.  
"A thousand creds!!! Boy, am I going shop!" Man a thousand creds. Hopefully Max wouldn't mind picking up a few things for me.  
"Yeah, we're going shopping!" I said jumping around the living room too.  
"Who said we?" Max said with that sly grin again.  
  
* * *  
Max and I sat outside of Cheezy Dan's finishing off the rest of our shakes. I looked at Max, stirring her shake. It was amazing how no one knew that me and Max were together. Since that night on the balcony, our relationship has grown beyond being friends and partners. At school, we still acted the same. I could see why no one thought to much of us because Max and I always hung together. I knew that Dana didn't know about our relationship. Last summer, she got involved with this guy and they have been going together for awhile. I was glad to see that Dana was happy because I didn't have to feel guilty for the way our relationship turned out. She even called me and told me that she realized that it was for the best and that there weren't any hard feelings. Max felt kind of awkward around her sometimes, because, although they are not best friends, Dana and Max are close. I was hoping we could keep the relationship from her at least until the end of high school, so we wouldn't have to go through any uneccesarry drama.  
My thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of my cellphone.  
"That was Bruce. He wants us pronto." I said to Max while I put up my cell phone.   
"Duty calls. I guess that ends my celebration." Max said throwing her shake into the garbage can.  
* * *  
"Congratulations Max. I'm glad to see that your new job didn't stop you from achieving your goals." Bruce said as he rubbed Ace's neck.   
"My mom is going out of town for the day, so I have to be home by nine. She taking the last train out of Gotham." I slipped my mask over my face and walked over to the bat plane.  
"My sister is left for a business trip this evening, so I could watch Matt until you get through." Max's voice sounded muffled as she slipped on her mask.  
"There hasn't been much activity so far tonight. I think he can make it home in time" Bruce said looking at the computer.  
"Plus, my mom doesn't like that I put my baby-sitting duties on you all the time. So let's move out and get this over with."  
  
* * *  
Ever since Max and I became partners, patrol had become our alone time. She would patrol the northeast side of the city and I the southwest. If something happened in our area, we were each other's back up. Max was a quick study and could handle most criminals herself. When I battle the criminals, Max always swoops in to help innocent bystanders or give me a helping hand. I was glad when Max found out my identity, and now I had become really glad she was my partner.  
"Batman, your mom will be leaving soon." Max said over the transmitter. I looked at the clock in Gotham Square and saw that it was ten after eight.  
"Come on let's go."  
  
* * *  
Max and I ran up the steps in front of my apartment building. We had ran into some burglars on the way to the Batcave and it took us a while to deal with them. It was ten after nine and I knew my mother would have a lot to say.  
"Terry, your late." I wasn't two steps into the door before she started to rant. "Anyway, I don't have time to give you another lecture. Make sure Matt go to bed on time and don't let him pig out on junk food tomorrow. I cooked a meal for you guys to eat and all you have to do is put it in the microwave." My mom was running around doing a last minute check list. "And- hello Max. I'm so rude. I didn't see you standing there. How's everything with you?"  
"I'm fine Ms. McGinnis."   
"Max won valedictorian." I said as I helped my mom with her bags.  
"Well, congratulations. I had often wished that your smarts would have rubbed off on Terry-"  
"Yeah, but that clearly didn't happen!" Matt said laughing.  
"Oh hush you. Anyway I love you both, and Matt don't give your brother a hard time." Mom rushed out the door and into the elevator to catch her cab.  
"She always has a mouthful to say." I told Max as I closed the door. "Anyway, I have to put the twip to bed, then we can crash and watch a movie."  
"Sure, I'll just make myself comfortable." Max pulled off her shoes and stretched out on the couch. I picked Matt up and took him into the bathroom and began to run the water.  
"But, I took a bath yesterday!" Ma whined. I turned off the water and told him to take a bath anyway. Reluctantly he got in and began to bathe. I went in his room and got his favorite pair of pajamas.   
Wrestling with Matt took about a good fortyfive minutes, but I finally got him squared away into bed. I walked back into the living room and saw Max on the floor typing on her laptop. Her stare showed that she was intensely concentrating. I know better than to interrupt her when she is concentrating but school is over with.  
"Whatcha doing?" I took off my shoes and laid behind her on the couch. I looked over her shoulder to see what she was working on.  
"I'm starting on my speech." Max said, her eyes not moving from the screen.  
"Oh come on. Graduation is not until next Saturday. You have a week free from school to come up with a speech that will be shway if you regardless when you write it. Can we just relax? It's been a long year and you look like you need the rest." I reached over her shoulder and closed her laptop.   
"Okay, but if my speech is lame, I'm blaming it on you." Max got off the floor and snuggled beside me on the couch. I turned the movie on and turned off the lights. The movie was funny. I was surprised that Max wasn't laughing much. I looked down to see that Max had dozed off. As I turned off the movie, Max awoke.  
"Hey, I was watching that," she said sleepily.  
"With you eyes closed?"  
"What time is it?" Max sat up and rubbed her eye. She looked around the room for a clock.  
"It's ten after twelve, sleepy head."  
"Man, I need to get home." Max stood up and began to but her laptop in her backpack.  
"It's a little late for you to be out and I don't feel like walking you home." I yawned and scratched my head. "You can crash in my room. I'll take the couch."  
"You don't to do that. I'll be okay going home."  
"Max," I said in a tone that said I wasn't in the mood for arguing.  
"Okay, okay, okay." I turned off the lights as we walked to my room. I peaked in on my brother to make sure he wasn't watching tv. He was fast asleep.  
"You're lucky. I changed the sheets this morning." Max pulled the cover back on the bed. "You can sleep in one of my t- shirts. Which do you prefer? I'm with stupid or Up yours?"  
"I'll take I'm with stupid," I picked the shirt up and sat next to her on the bed. I looked into Max's tired eyes. Everytime I would look at Max I would feel so proud.  
"You know, I really appreciate everything you've done for me over the years. I mean I have been through so much and I'm just thankful that I had you to help me through it all." I held Max in a tight embrace. Lately, my feelings for Max have been indescribable. I've never experienced true romantic love and I've never felt this way before. Maybe love and how I feel now are one in the same. Max broke the embrace and kissed me. It seemed like every kiss Max and I shared was filled with So much emotion. She hugged me again and I whispered in her ear, " I love you."  
"I love you too, Terry." Max said in a sweet whisper. I leaned to kiss her again. Suddenly, I didn't care about anything else in the world. The only place I wanted to be was in Max's arms. As we deeply kissed, she slowly leaned back on the bed. Her arms were caressing my back as moved on top of her. A earthquake wouldn't have moved us. As my hands caressed her body, I knew again like that night on the balcony, that she was who I needed. I slowly rolled over and Max was on top of me. We had never stopped kissing. I sat up and she pulled my shirt up. I held her head with my hands as we continued kissing. I slowly on zipped her shirt. I kissed down her neck to her shoulder, not missing one sweet spot.  
Max and I made love all night. For hours afterwards we would lay there, sharing some of our most intimate feelings. Tears would flow from Max's eyes as she told me about her lonely childhood. I would listen as I kissed her tears off her cheek. She would caress my face as I told her the horror of the night my father was murdered. Our hands intertwined and emotions flowed through our fingers. That night was more beautiful than anything I had ever imagined. I didn't want this experience to end. I know that I will always hold the memory of this night forever with me. I love you Max, more than words or emotions could describe.  
  
* * *  
The sun shone through my window, giving the room a golden glow. I turned toward Max. She was sound asleep. I didn't won't to wake her because, for us, sleep like this was rare. I snuggled close to her and tried to fall back asleep. My sleep was broken by a knock at the door.  
"Terry, I'm hungry!" Matt whined. I was glad I had locked the door because Matt usually jumps on the bed to get me to wake up on Saturdays.  
"Come on Matt, just another hour." I pleaded to him.  
"But I'm hungry." I finally gave up and sleepily climbed out of the bed.  
"Okay, Matt, I'm getting up." I opened my drawer and found some clothes to wear. I took a quick shower and changed.  
"Where are you about to go?" Max said half asleep.  
"Matt's hungry so I'm going to take him to the cafe to get breakfast."  
"I guess that means I need to get up?"  
"Yeah, if Matt saw you in here I would be blackmailed for the rest of my life." I looked in the mirror and fixed my hair. "Plus, I took the liberty of using up all the hot water." I turned around and smiled at Max and she gave me one of her nasty looks.  
I went into the living room and found my brother laying on the floor watching cartoon. I caught him from behind and dragged him into his room to put his clothes on. We went to the kitchen and found Max drinking a glass of orange juice.  
"You came back early." Matt said giving her a hug. "Come on Terry. I'm hungry."  
* * *  
Max and I sat in the booth and watched my brother play video games. The aroma from Max's coffee surrounded us. I put my arm around her and she buried her face in my shoulder.  
"Last night was great," she whispered.  
"Yeah." As we sat there together a feeling of complete tranquillity came over me. It had been a long time since I had felt this peaceful. I hoped with all my heart that this feeling of peace I had with Max would last forever.  
  
The End 


End file.
